Francesco Maria del Monte

His Eminence

Francesco Maria del Monte
His Eminence; Francesco Maria del Monte
Dean of the College of Cardinals
	Sketched portrait of Cardinal del Monte, by Ottavio Leoni, 1616
Church	Catholic Church
Appointed	14 March 1623
Term ended	27 August 1627
Predecessor	Antonmaria Sauli
Successor	Ottavio Bandini
Other posts	Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia-Velletri; (1623-1627);
Previous posts	See list Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria in Domnica; (1589–1591) ; Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli; (1591-1611) ; Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Trastevere; (1611-1612) ; Cardinal-Priest of San Lorenzo in Lucina; (1612-1615) ; Cardinal-Bishop of Palestrina; (1615-1621) ; Cardinal-Bishop of Porto–Santa Rufina; (1621-1623) ;
Orders
Ordination	12 April 1587
Consecration	13 May 1605; by Ludovico de Torres
Created cardinal	14 December 1588; by Pope Sixtus V
Rank	Cardinal-Bishop
Personal details
Born	Francesco Maria Bourbon del Monte Santa Maria; 5 July 1549; Venice, Republic of Venice
Died	27 August 1627 (aged 78); Palazzo Madama, Rome
Buried	Sant'Urbano alla Caffarella
Coat of arms

Francesco Maria del Monte, full name Francesco Maria Bourbon del Monte Santa Maria, (5 July 1549 – 27 August 1627) was an Italian cardinal, diplomat, and connoisseur of the arts. His fame today rests on his early patronage of the important Baroque master Caravaggio, and on his art collection (the del Monte collection) which provides provenance for many important works of the period.